I was in awe of the power and speed of my R23 the first time behind the helm. My previous boat was 135 hp, so the 200 hp was a substantial change. A bit later, when going off on a San Juan Islands cruise with the family of 3, we were loaded with crab pots, coolers and inflatable kayaks in the cockpit. We couldn’t get the boat on plane with full throttle.
The next year, I encountered bar-like conditions with tides and winds stacking up waves probably six feet in height. I found myself down in the trough and hitting full throttle to climb out of the hole, only to then back off when I finally got to the crest. It was nerve wracking not knowing whether I had enough power to get out of the hole.
Like other R23 owners, I started to do things to help. I learned to use the trim tabs to help get on plane. Then, I added drop fins to the trim tabs. Still not sufficient, I switched to a 4-blade prop. Each of these additions helped. The 4-blade prop reduced my fuel efficiency by 20-30%. (With the 4-blade, I was getting 1.6 to 1.9 mpg.) But once again, I found myself out on the ocean in big swells with a cooler filled with salmon in the cockpit, and I struggled to get through the swells.
I love my R23. I don’t have two foot-itis at all. Instead, I have 50-100 horse-itis.
I started researching adding more horsepower to the R23. I was curious why it was powered with the 200 Yamaha outboard. While the owner’s manual says the dry weight is 5,000 pounds,
https://rangertugs.blob.core.windows.ne ... l-0821.pdf, the specifications on the website says 6,000 pounds (
https://www.rangertugs.com/models/model-category/r-23/). The manual is clearly in error. But dry weight is not wet weight. Add kicker motor, fuel, water, waste, people, solar panels, gear, etc., and the wet weight is probably around 8,300 pounds. (Another R23 owner says the sling weight for his boat with a kicker was 7,900 pounds. So, add people and gear, and you can easily get 8,300 pounds.)
Searching various forums, they say the rule of thumb is to have 25-40 pounds of weight per 1 horsepower. If we use 8,300 pounds as wet weight for the R23, the outboard should be between 207 and 331 horsepower. The 200 hp is below the rule of thumb and the experience of numerous R23 owners has demonstrated problems with getting up on plane. The halfway point in the rule of thumb would indicate that the R23 should be equipped with a 250 hp outboard.
Knowing this, I knew it was time to repower my R23. I knew the range I was wanting was 250-300. The Yamaha 250 and 300 are identical weight outboards. I ended up getting a 300 based on advice from an experienced boat builder and others. I’ve now gotten four trips with my 300 and my fuel efficiency is better than the 200 with a 4-blade prop by 20-30%! I am getting 2.4 to 2.6 mpg at cruising speed (30-33 mph). Not only am I able to get out of the hole now, I can also lower the bow and plow through chop, making the R23 far more stable than with the 200. If I want to get somewhere fast, I now have top speeds over 40 mph.
I don’t know why the company is putting the 200 on the R23. I know it can work for people. I certainly was impressed when I took the helm for the first time. But clearly, it is underpowered for the weight. The 250 should be stock on the R23, IMHO.
